Response Post:

According to Ethical Issues in Marketing: Selective Marketing and Market Exclusion, the general trend is an increase in clothing size in USA. Abercrombie and Fitch (A&F), on the other hand, has been creating products that aim toward “thin people,” which exclude people who require larger sizes. Yes, it may limited the amount of profit that A&F could potentially make but the most important issue is the societal impact that such market exclusion can create.

The ethical issue in question is the body image that A&F tries to promote. They promote “thin” body type instead of promoting healthy body type. And when people associate with the word thin and clothing, people would tend to think of model body type, which at times could borderline anorexic. Consequently, consumers  internalize the model-like thin body or the muscular body of male model, which could altered the healthy body image.

Ethical issues can be viewed as important or not is based on the people in that society. In North American society, body image has always been an important issue. However, the issues of healthy body image is often overlooked by the marketers such as the ones for A&F. The consumers would keep the vicious cycle going if they keep indirectly promote the unhealthy body image by keep supporting the brand.

I have conducted an interview with a long-time A&F customer, who has been a loyal customer of ten years. He is not concern with the fact that A&F produces their clothes in a third world country where the factory workers could be underpaid and overworked or the fact that they discriminate against people with a certain body type. According to my interviewee, he said, “It’s [A&F’s] marketing strategy…people can choose to buy their clothes from other brands if they want something that fits.”

The interviewee is an example of how the marketers such as the ones from A&F can get away with discriminating a certain type of body image through market exclusion. When consumers in the society do not care, the mindless consumption can sustain the vicious cycle of unethical marketing, hence the negative impact that it contributes to the society.

Photo from Business Insider.

The marketing of AXE product line has long been associated with the sex appeal. One advertisement after another, AXE tries to send the message to its consumer that their products are superior than other brands simply because their products help men be more sexually attractive to the opposite sex. The ethical issues that arise from these advertisements lay in the the materialistic point of view and market audience.

The following video clip shows one of AXE’s previous shower gel advertisements.

What do I see when I watch this video clip? I see that an average-looking man is able to make attractive women lose control and paid attention to him through the usage of an AXE shower gel. The message clearly suggests that using AXE shower gel will give men the advantage of being more attractive to the opposite sex. The advertisement also illustrates that a man can use this product to get women to do almost whatever he wants. In addition,the message suggests that using the right product is the method of attracting females attention. It contributes to the materialistic value of the society, where the products that one uses define the lifestyle and who he or she will be dating with. It encourages people to put more emphasis on the material rather than the value of the people. And most important of all, this type of advertisement become more about selling the dream rather than the product itself.

Furthermore, AXE products target the younger male population of 18 to 24 year-old men. These young men, especially those in their teens, are at the age where they could easily internalize and idolize the values such as materialistic and sexualizing women from the media. Instead of buying the product for its quality, young men would be buying AXE shower gels and body sprays for the lifestyle that the products promise. However, this type of advertisement is a false promise and these young consumers would soon lose appeal to the products.

How is this a good way to build a long, lasting, and profitable relationship?